About Cyclura ricordi (Duméril & Bibron, 1837)
Cyclura ricordi is a species of rock iguana. This species is sexually dimorphic: males reach a maximum snout-to-vent length of 460 mm (18 in), while females reach a maximum snout-to-vent length of 430 mm (17 in). The maximum recorded tail length for the species is 540 mm (21 in). At birth, the average snout-to-vent length is 96 mm (3.8 in), with an average tail length of 147 mm (5.8 in). Males are larger than females, and also have larger femoral pores on their thighs, which these pores use to release pheromones. The body has a dull grayish green base color, marked by five to six bold pale gray chevrons that alternate with dark gray to black chevrons. Adult individuals have less contrasting dark chevrons than juveniles. The eyes have a dark, almost black iris, and a red sclera. Eggs of the genus Cyclura, which this species belongs to, are among the largest eggs laid by any lizard. Until 2008, Cyclura ricordi was thought to only occur in two populations in the southern Dominican Republic. One of these populations lives in the arid Hoya de Enriquillo, surrounding the hypersaline Lake Enriquillo and its lake island Isla Cabritos. The other lives in the most xeric section of Pedernales Province's coastal lowlands. These two populations are separated by the moister Sierra de Bahoruco; three of its peaks rise over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), forming an ecological barrier between the groups. It is possible that past drier Pleistocene climates allowed genetic exchange between the two populations. Throughout its entire range, Cyclura ricordi lives alongside Cyclura cornuta, the rhinoceros iguana. All other Caribbean islands that host rock iguanas only host a single rock iguana species. In 2008, a third population of Cyclura ricordi was discovered near the town of Anse-a-Pitres in Haiti, close to Haiti's southernmost coast. Hispaniola was originally two separate islands; genetic evidence shows C. ricordii evolved on the northern paleo-island and later dispersed southward, while C. cornuta evolved on the southern paleo-island. This species lives in dry xeric Hispaniolan dry forests or scrublands. These plant communities grow on rocky limestone cliffs and terraces, have scattered trees, cacti, and many vines, and occasionally include depressions filled with red soil. A portion of the species' population occupies flat habitat with 5–6m tall dry forest, where succulents are the dominant plants and the habitat grows on white sandy soil. Cyclura ricordi occurs at altitudes ranging from 43m below sea level (on Cabritos Island in Lake Enriquillo) up to 439m above sea level. The Haitian population of the species lives on a small karst limestone terrace located near the coast.
